David G. Luenberger

Brief Biography

David G. Luenberger is a Saul Gass Expository Writing Award laureate whose corpus of works include books on dynamic systems, optimization, and investment science. Born in 1937, Luenberger received his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the California Institute of Technology before pursuing graduate study at Stanford University. As a grad student, he introduced new methods for the construction of state observers – systems that provide estimates of the internal state of a given real system. Luenberger received a PhD in 1963 under William Kirby Linvill.

Luenberger remained at Stanford, eventually becoming a full professor. In 1967, he was one of the original founders of the university’s Department of Engineering-Economic Systems, which eventually merged into the Department of Management Science and Engineering. Luenberger chaired the department in the 1980s and graduated 52 PhD students in the discipline.  He retired in 2013. 

Luenberger’s research interests primarily involve the application of mathematics and optimization to control, planning, and decision making. His work has led to a number of books including Optimization by Vector Space Methods (1969), Introduction to Dynamic Systems: Theory, Models and Applications (1979), Investment Science (1997), and Information Science (2006). Optimization by Vector Space Models successfully teaches engineers how to solve complex problems regarding decision making in the distribution of expensive resources. Investment Science is widely used and referenced by financial academics and practitioners alike. Luenberger’s most recent book, Information Science, is built around the five “E’s” of information (entropy, economics, encryption, extraction, and emission) and outlines how each area directly impacts modern information products to explain important concepts in the ongoing revolution of information technology.

In addition to the Saul Gass Expository Writing Award, Luenberger is a recipient of the Rufus Oldenburger Medal of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers for lifetime achievements in automatic control. He is additonally an elected member of the National Academy of Engineering and a Fellow of the Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers. 

Other Biographies

Wikipedia Entry for David Luenberger

Hong Kong Polytechnical University. Staff: Honorary Professor David G. Luenberger. Accessed May 5, 2015. (link) 

Stanford University Profiles. David Luenberger's Profile. Accessed May 5, 2015. (link)